Avatar: Aang's Hope
by ModernLoveIsATacoTruck
Summary: This story starts out with a BANG!, literally! Follow Aang, Katara, and Sokka, as they journey through Aang's path to recovery in a modern world! STORY NOW COMPLETED. Name changed from A:TLModernbender to Avatar: Aang's hope. Kick back, read, and review!
1. Prologue  Kind of

**Hist**

**Aang**

When Aang was six years old, he lost his parents when his home burned down. It was set on fire by Sozin's Arsonists, and his injuries had set him into a four year coma. When he awoke from this coma, he was ten years old and found himself put into Southern Air Foster Home, an orphanage in the city of Ba Sing Se.

At the age of eleven, he began taking Ba Gua, and instantly became a master. He was a natural, but no one was sure why, other than his main care-taker, Gyatso, who had made the decision to take the boy in from the hospital after he had awoken. He is 12 years old.

_Personality Traits: _Adventurous, kind, smart, witty, loves to have fun, daring, creative

**Katara**

At the age of eight, Katara's parents divorced for reasons her nor her brother knew of. They knew, however, that their parents were still in love, but that was the divorce was beyond their knowledge. On her ninth birthday, they received knowledge that their parents had been killed in a collision with a speeding fire truck.

When she was 13, she began taking Tai Chi lessons, and was a great fighter, though is still not a master. Her father, Hakoda, takes many business trips around the world, most of which he is not able to take them with him because of the rules of his work. She has an older brother named Sokka. She is 14 years old.

_Personality Traits: _Cautionous, kind, smart, witty, motherly, artistic, quiet, caring

**Sokka**

When he was nine years old, his parents were divorced (See 'Katara', Paragraph one, sentences 1-3).

Sokka did not and does not plan to take any form of martial arts classes. He is, though, a skilled swordsman and likes to collect antique weapons. He has a father named Hakoda (See 'Katara', Paragraph Two, Sentence 2), and a younger sister named Katara. He is 15 years old.

**This is a sort of form of Prologue, because I was too lazy to write it for realz. Haha. Hope you likie! Chapter One coming soon...Very soon...**


	2. With a BANG

**Yay! Here's Chapter One of -Unnamed-! Haha. Enjoy!**

**Ch1**

Heat. Burning, scorching heat. That was all Aang felt as he awoke from his dreams. The heat brought with it an eery sense of dejavu, the feeling that whatever was happening had happened before. A wall to his right started to crumble.

The Southern Air Foster Home was burning. It was close to midnight when Aang heard the loud BANG! ringing through the air. He knew within a few moments that they had been bombed. He wasn't positive about who would throw a bomb into a humble foster home, though he was had a strong feeling that they were fire nation, or why, but for now, he didn't care. By pure instinct, all he cared about was getting out of there, and fast.

The twelve year old orphan scrambled out of bed, only to jump right back onto it, holding his foot. He held it up to look at it, and realized it was on fire a little bit. Aang, using his hands, quickly patted the fire out, and then hugged his knees to his chest, almost in tears. This was all too familiar. The cracking walls, his loved ones burning alive, or dead, around him, the heat. It was as if he was experiencing a very real flashback of what had happened to his home and his family. Cries of pain and fear around him, and people calling his name to get out. But soon enough, a CRRRRACK! and then another BANG! sounded, the flashback ended, and all was black.

_"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Spongebob Square-" _Click. _"As you can see, this giraffe knows the direction of th-" _Click! _"Breaking News! The Southern Air Foster Home on South and Pole was bombed approximately 15 minutes ag-" _Click! "Wait, what?" Click! _"-o. No found survivors, one remaining missing person." _"Oh, my God! Sokka, come here!" "What is it, Katara?" Sokka, a fifteen year old boy with gleaming blue eyes ran over to his fourteen year old sister, Katara, worried about her. Reaching her, gasping for breath from running through the house like a mad man. "What...is it?"

"The orphanage down the street! It's on fire! Look!" Katara exclaimed. "What?" Sokka yelled. "What happened?" "It was bombed!" Silence, and then, "Fire Nation..." By this time, Katara had a jacket on and was shoving one into her brother's arms. "Come on!" He quickly threw the jacket on and they ran out the door and down the street.

The destruction of the Foster Home was worse than either of them thought it would be. The building was completely destroyed, it had entirely collapsed, and now looked like a pile of cement, which was basically what it was. A few burned bodies of children and adults were scattered around, but those that weren't were layed in a pile. Firefighters **(A/N: Waterbenders? Lol)** had already put out the whole of the fire, and only small patches of grass remained aflame. Officers and Ambulance drivers were loading up the bodies, while others were simply standing, surveying the area.

Katara looked through the rubble thoroughly, and she gasped when her eyes met something yellow among the cement. She ran through the debris and small flames, careful not to be burned nor trip on anything. Reaching the cement slab, debri, and rocks that covered the yellow that peaked out from under, she attempted to uncover it, only to fail. "Sokka! Come help me!" Sokka was at his sister's side within seconds, and together, they lifted the heavy cement covering the yellow. But what Katara saw scared her, and she dropped the cement, crushing the yellow once more."Katara!" Sokka yelled. He grabbed her side of the slab, which now had a little bit of blood on it, and lifted it up, throwing the cement to the side with all his strength. But once what was underneath it had been uncovered, Sokka realized why his sister had been so scared.

A small boy, around twelve years old, Sokka guessed, dressed in a yellow sleeping shirt and brown sweat pants lay on the burnt ground. Blood covered most of his abdomen and parts of his legs, and one of his feet were badly burned. His shaggy brown hair was slightly burnt, and crimson blood seeped slowly out of his open mouth, ears, nose, closed eyes, and now the arm Katara had dropped the cement on. Scrapes and bruises covered his body, and there was a large portion of his shirt that was ripped and burned.

Sokka stumbled back a little bit, then walked slowly to his younger sister's side, grasping and squeezing her hand. Katara's eyes were still locked on the child, who looked as if he were dead. A few tears slid down her cheeks. She couldn't help but cry, feeling so helpless...and hopeless. Sokka slowly released his grip on his sister's hand, bent down onto one knee, and picked the boy up, bridal style. His head, feet, and arms just dangled over the edge, and Sokka's clothes received a few blood stains. Slowly, and carefully, Sokka and Katara turned to walk to one of the ambulances, but to their horror, realized they had all driven away already.

The only people left at the site were a few of the officers assigned to remove the remaining bodies, and some innocent bystanders. Katara walked over to one of the officers, tapping his shoulder to get his attention. "Yes?" came a deep voice, belonging to the officer, who was turning to face Katara. "Um, we uh..." she stuttered quietly. She couldn't bring herself to say anything. It felt like too much. Luckily, she didn't have to say anything, for the officer realized what she was trying to say when he saw the young boy laying limp in Sokka's arms.

Sokka's face bore a few tears, and Katara nearly burst into a million of them when the officer said, "He's gone. Dead. No survivors, didn't you hear? It couldn't be survived...Especially by someone so young and frail." Katara was about to attempt to say something, but was interrupted, "Listen, kids. I've got to bodies are all loaded up, and my shift is over. I need to get home. Either leave the kid or take him." The officer turned and walked to his truck, which now had a bed full of dead bodies. Sokka and Katara looked at eachother, both as if to say something along the lines of, "We can't just take some dead stranger home."

They were about to drop the body when it stirred, and a painful sounding moan escaped it. The young boy's bloody eyes opened a little, looked at the two, then closed again, in pain. Katara and Sokka gasped. He was alive.


	3. Dizzy

**Heeeeeello! Please, sit back, relax, and enjoy the second installment of...-drummroll...-**

**UNNAMED AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER MODERN STORY OR SERIES THING!**

**(UATLEMSOST!)**

**Disclamerito-man!: Hola! El Confundido Aire (Bender) no posee Avatar: La Leyenda de Aang / A:TLA ... Por favor, solo dejame en paz, no demandar, y diviertete!**

**Translation: **_**Hello! The Confused Air Bender does not own Avatar: The Legend of Aang/ A:TLA...Please just leave me alone, don't sue, and enjoy!**_

**Now, back to the show, only on Nick! Err...**

**Chapter TWO!**

Aang awoke, shooting up in bed, but quickly regretting it. His body ached all over, he had a massive headache, blurred vision, a terrible taste in his mouth, and to sum it all up, he had no idea where he was. A frightening _RRRRIPP!_ing sound was heard, and he soon realized what it was. Stictches on his face, neck, and abdomen ripped open, and he screamed in pain.

Seconds later, a tanned, brown haired, blue eyed fourteen year old girl in which he had never seen before appeared in the doorway, a worried expression splashed across her face. "What are you doing? You just ripped all of your stitches open!" she exclaimed. Aang scrunched up into an almost fetal-like position, tears of fear beginning to swell in his eyes. "Wh-Who are you? Where...Where am I?" Katara approached the scared child slowly. "Shh! It's okay!" She went to touch the boy, but he pulled away into the covers as if she were a snake or something trying to eat him, whimpering quietly.

Katara silently smacked her forehead in a bit of anger with herself. Of course he wasn't going to wake up perfectly fine, knowing exactly where he was and who she was. That only happened in movies! She sighed.

"Shh...Listen, my name is Katara, this is my house, and-" Aang cut in, yelling, "Why am I in your house? Are you a kidnapp-" "I'm not a kidnapper! I saved you!" "What...What do you mean?" he asked. "What are you talking about?" _He doesn't remember..._ she thought. "Your house...Er...The orphanage was burning down. It got bombed, remember? My brother, Sokka, and I...We saved you."

Suddenly, painful memories burned their way into Aang's mind. The the BANG!, the fire, the building collapsing onto him, the heat. It all flashed in front of him as if it were still happening, and then the darkness. It was all coming back to him now. Bits and peices at a time, but still. "...Oh..." Aang whispered solemnly.

"Yea," Katara said, her voice hushed. "I'm sorry you were so scared. I should have told you something." "It's okay," Aang replied. "I should have let you when you tried." He smiled weakly, but then pulled his face back into a frown quickly, obviously in pain. The threads that had ripped open his skin again brought burning, stinging pain when he smiled, not to mention the rest of him, also.

"Sorry about the pain...I'm not a doctor, but I tried my best. We didn't think we should have used the money our dad left us before he left for a business trip, just incase you...You know..."

"Yea. But, I'm alive, and you did your best. Thanks," Aang said, managing a small smile. Katara smiled back. "You need to eat. It's been over a week or so since Sokka tried to feed you...Which didn't turn out too well," the girl said, concerned for the boy's stomach, which was now begging to be fed after the thought of food. She giggled. "Come on, I'll help you downstairs."

Katara put her arms around his torso and picked him up, carefully setting him on his feet and then wrapping his arm over her shoulder, and her arm behind his back, helping to keep him standing. For a few seconds, everything seemed fine, but then his vison blurred over and he stumbled back a few steps, feeling like he was going to throw up. The world around him seemed to be swimming, and he felt dizzy. Luckily, Katara caught him before he fell. "Are you okay?"

"Yea...Yea," he said, not quite sure himself, "Just...Motion sickness from laying down so long or something...I'm fine, really..." Katara gave him an unsure look, "Alright. If you say so."

The two started downstairs, Katara continuously having to catch Aang and help him stay on his feet and not throw up. Eventually, they made it downstairs and into the living room, where she helped him lay down on the couch. "Okay, what would you like? I think we have ravioli, beans and rice, chinese...Um, chowder or soup would probably be best, though." "Soup," Aang replied. "Soup, please." Katara nodded breifly and ran off to the kitchen to start making his food.

The trip down the stairs having worn him out, Aang was about to fall asleep after two or three minutes, but did not due to loud footsteps pouding down the stairs. After 10 seconds or so, their owner, a fifteen year old, tan skinned, brown haired, blue eyed boy, much like Katara, appeared at the end of the stairway, and then walking towards the kitchen. He then seemed to realize something and took a few steps backwards, looking at the boy on the couch.

"So, you're finally awake, huh?" the teenager said. Aang curled into a ball, staring at him, a mixed expression of pain, fear, and confusion painted on his young face. "Dude, relax. This is _my _house, anyway. It's not like I'm some kind of burgalar or something." "You're...Are you...Sokka?" Aang asked, his voice cracking. "That's mah name, don't wear it out," Sokka replied, quite casually, leaving him and walking into the kitchen.

Soon after Sokka walked into the kitchen, Katara rushed out, a bowl of soup, a spoon, and a napkin on a tray in one hand, and a TV table **(or are they TV trays? I forget. Oh well) **in the other. She set the tray with the soup on the couch for a minute while she set up the TV table in front of Aang, who successfully -but painfully- sat up by himself, and then set his food, spoon, and napkin on the table. "Here you are, sir, enjoy your meal!" she curtsied as a waitress in a resturaunt would, earning a pained but truly happy laugh from Aang. "Thanks, Katara."

"Mhm, my pleasure," she replied, now dropping the waitress act with a chuckle. She gently sling an arm around his bony shoulder as he began to spoon soup into his mouth hungrily. He was glad he didn't have to chew anything, his face was still stinging, just not as much as when he woke up. Soon enough, he finished the soup. He looked up hungrily to Katara, who laughed. "Want some more, huh?" Aang nodded harshly. "Alright. I'll be right back." With that, the girl took the bowl and returned to the kitchen.

He had eaten half the bowl when he started to feel sick. Slowly, he set the spoon into the bowl, and just sat there for almost a minute. Then, out of nowhere, he made a mad dash to where he guessed the bathroom was, and disgusting noises could be heard throughout the house.

Katara stood, and ran off to where Aang was. When she walked into the bathroom, he was leaning over the toilet, tears streaming down his pale face as he threw up everything he had just eaten, along with water and chunks of undigested food. When he finished, he sat there on his knees for a few seconds, and then he bent over again and started throwing up more.

The girl wondered how he could be throwing up so much if he had only had soup that week, but when she peered into the toilet bowl she realized he was now throwing up water and blood. She ran next to him and kneeled at his side, placing a hand on his back. After another minute or so, he had finished, and he slumped onto Katara, his face completely flooded with tears, and the color washed out of his skin. Holding him in her arms, she stood, flushed the toilet, and walked out, and then set the boy on the couch.

He had already fallen asleep, completely worn out after probably losing quite a few pounds. Katara and Sokka stood in the stairway, watching the boy's chest rise and fall. Sokka sighed. He felt weird having a stranger asleep on his couch, but he knew his sister had put a lot of hope into this kid. Though, without really thinking about it, he realized that he had done the same, just at a lower level. Sokka actually hoped this kid would make it, that he'd be better soon. That he'd find a good home, even if it was with his sister and himself. Though he tried, he couldn't bring himself to have anything against him. Sokka smiled. Aang had brought a form of hope with him, even to Sokka.

**Yo, home-diddles! Too short? Well, it seemed long when writing it before I wrote author's notes. Haha...Okay, here's a little explaining:**

**-They know Aang's name because when they found him, he had a name tag on (all the kids in the orphanage had to wear one, because there were so many of them and their names were occasionally forgotten. Make sense? Hope so...), and his shirt tag had his name written on it, because most of the kids at the orphanage had the same clothes. **

-**Hakoda (Katara's and Sokka's dad, if you didn't already know) is gone because his job requires tons of business trips, most of which he can't take them with him (I put that in the prologue thing, I know), so he's gone a lot, and they just stay home alone.**

**-Yes, Gyatso is dead. All of them are (the ..uh..airbenders? i mean). Don't you remember? NO SURVIVORS (err...except for Aangy, dear, of course. lol)!**

**-All the ages are the same, except for Sokka, if you haven't noticed. Sokka-16, Katara-14, Aang-12**

**-Aang is sick because... -CLIFFHANGER!-**

**Lol.**

**Well, hope you enjoyeseded! :D **

**Review...Favorite...PM...Whatever...**

**Tank chew fairy munch!**

**Peace!**


	4. Doctor Zuan

**Yo! This chapter is kind of short...But whatever.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar...If I did, it wouldn't be as awesome. **

**I AM NOT WORTHY OF THY AWESOMENESS, BRYKE! PLEASE EXCEPT THIS HUMBLE AND TASTY OFFERING IN EXCHANGE FOR MY SUCKINESS! -lifts up Momo-**

**Yea...Uh. No. I 3 Momo :)**

**And, yea. Here is...**

**Ch3!**

Two days later, Aang's sickness bore on. Over those two days, Katara's worry only grew and grew as she realized more and more that he wasn't getting any better, if anything, he was getting worse. So one day, she decided to load him up, and have Sokka drive them to the hospital.

Aang was terrified. Last time he had been to the hospital, he had needed to stay for about four years. He was unconsious, of course, but still. _Four years._ How long was it going to be _this_ time? He shuddered. Not only because of the thought, but because he was freezing, and scared. The cooler wasn't on, and it was only still early fall, but lately, everything seemed extremely cold, or burning hot. When he was supposed to be hot, he was cold, and vice versa. It was strange.

They suddenly stopped, and then turned into a parking lot. Aang gulped. The hospital wasn't as big as he expected. In fact, it was tiny. It was a series of white, brand-new but creepy looking buildings, with automatic glass doors and three stripes painted around every building, each a different color: one green, one blue, and one red.

All of a sudden, a voice peirced through his thoughts. "Hey," Sokka said, sounding impatient. "Sleepy head? We're here. Get out." He shook his head to clear it, and then looked out the car door to see Sokka and Katara standing there waiting for him.

"Oh Sokka, calm down," Katara said, leaning into the car to help Aang get out. When he was finally out, they began walking towards one of the buildings, the teenage siblings supporting Aang. They walked through the automatic glass doors, and then up to the porcelean-looking counter where a nurse sat, reading some papers. The place wasn't very busy today.

"Excuse me?" Katara said quietly after a while. The woman looked up, and then stood, a pure, kind smile splashed upon her orangish face. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, "Hello, my name is Len Ji. How can I help you?"

"Our...He's been throwing up blood a lot these past couple of days...Not to mention, he's been really tired and says he's sore," Katara said, gesturing towards Aang, "And we were wondering if we could get him checked up as soon as possible."

"Sure," Len Ji replied. "Actually, you can go into Doctor Zian's room right now, he's open and doesn't have any appointments. Five rooms down on the left side once you get into the main hallway," she smiled politely. "Great!" Katara replied, "Thank you!" Len Ji nodded happily, and the three went off to find Dr. Zuan.

They walked through the gray hall until they reached a pale olive green hallway that was lined with doors. They walked past four doors, and then stopped at the fifth on the left side and went in.

A tall man with a balding head, thick glass and pine-green eyes was standing in the room, fixing the patient check-up bed's covers. Katara tapped him softly on the shoulder, and he turned on his heel to face them. Aang shrunk behind Katara and Sokka, nervous. He didn't like this. These weren't bad people, he just didn't like this at all.

"Yes?" he asked. He had a deep but kind sounding voice, that made Katara feel she could trust him. "Oh, hi there," he said, reaching a hand out to the girl. "My name is Doctor Ezu Zuan, but you can call me Doctor Zuan. And your names are?" "I'm Katara," Katara replied, "And this is my friend, Aang, and my brother, Sokka. We're here for a check-up..."

"Oh, alright! Just have a seat on this bed, then, and we'll get you all settled," Zuan replied, taking Katara's hand and beginning to lead her to the bed. "No, not for me," she giggled a little, "For Aang. He's sick, I'm fine." "Is that so? Alright then, come on, young man," Zuan said, reaching for Sokka, who stepped to the side before the man could touch him.

Doctor Zuan looked confused for a moment, but after a second or two, the teens realized why.

Aang was gone.

There stood an empty doorway, a stool, and a small trash can, but no Aang.

Katara looked at Sokka, and then they both ran out the door.

"Aang?" Katara asked, "Aang? AANG? WHERE ARE YOU?" she then noticed a figure sitting on the floor down the hall. She motioned for Sokka and the doctor to stay, and then walked towards the boy, sitting next to him.

"Hey," she said. "You okay?"

"No...Not really," Aang replied quietly.

"It's for your own good...Don't you want to get better?"

He put his head down on his knees.

"Please," Katara said softly, "Please..."

Aang looked up at her, becoming teary. "Okay," he said quietly. Katara stood and helped him up, and together, they walked back to the room.

"Alright," Doctor Zuan said, leading Aang to the white, paper covered bed. "Have a seat and we'll get started."

With some help from his friends and Doctor Zuan, the boy situated himself up on the bed and folded his hands on his lap, in a position much like a therapy patient.

"So," Doctor Zuan said after doing various tests on the child, "Tell me where your pain feels most intense." He pressed on different parts of Aang's body with his knuckles. "Nnh...Ugh...AHH! Stop!" Aang yelled as the doctor pressed on a spot of his stomach. Katara cringed. It hurt her seeing him in so much pain. Zuan pulled away from the boy, and then wrote something on a pad of paper.

"Katara, that's your name, correct?" he said, facing Katara, who nodded. "Can I speak to you outside for a moment?" "Uh, sure," the girl said, standing up and following the doctor out of the room.

"We're going to need to do a blood test," Doctor Zuan said, reading over some of his notes. "It's that bad?" Katara asked. "That's what we need to find out. Think he'll be up for it?" Katara thought about it for a minute, and then said, "I'll have to talk to him first." Zuan nodded, understanding, then walked in, sending Aang out to Katara.

"Yea?" Aang asked, rubbing his eyes. "Um...Okay, I know you're not going to like this, but they want you to get a blood test done..." "Huh? Why? Am I...Am I...Am I dying?" he replied, sitting on the ground. "What? No! Aang, don't think that way. You're fine! Zuan just wants to make sure. It's his job. Please, just listen to me. You need to do this. It doesn't really hurt, I've got mine drawn before." "Really?"

"Yes, really. So...please?" A few seconds of silence, then, "Fine..." Katara smiled, and then pulled him up onto his feet and into a big hug. They then walked inside.

Zuan already had all the blood-drawing equipment ready, much to Aang's distaste. He sighed deeply, then sat in a chair next to Sokka and Katara. Katara grasped his hand, while Zuan wrapped some bandages tightly around the other. Then he pulled out a large, shiny needle, which was connected to a tube, which was connected to some sort of test-tube looking jars.

Aang closed his eyes tightly. "One...Two..." Zuan was holding his arm up to the needle, "Three," the doctor said, sticking the needle into a vein. The boy clenched his teeth. Katara had lied. It hurt. A LOT.

After two and a half of the jars were filled with Aang's dark red blood, Zuan pulled the needle out and set it on the table. Then, he bandaged Aang's arm up where he had drawn the blood from. Katara held him in a hug, rocking him a little as he cried silently. It wasn't the actual pain that hurt, it was the fear of all of this.

A few minutes past and Aang was now quiet. He gently pulled out of the hug and looked at Katara. "C...Can we leave now?" Katara looked up at Zuan, who nodded. It would take a week or so to get results.

They walked out of the room and down the hall to the waiting room, where Len Ji still stood in her booth. They paid for the check-up and blood test, then left.

By the time they got home, Aang had fallen asleep. Everything seemed to wear him out so quickly, and he felt like he had never slept as much in his life as he did during those few days. Sokka carried him into the house and laid him on the couch in the living room. Night had come so quickly, and Katara had set up a little bed for herself on the floor next to the couch. Thinking over how much she had had to watch Aang hurt, she softly cried herself to sleep.

**Hola, amigos! **

**Hope you like the story so far! :) **

**Okay, I know that I put that Sokka was 15 in the Prologue and the first chapter, but then I realized that he needs to have a driver's liscense if they want to go anywhere...Thus, Sokka skipped a birthday. Haha.**

**Yep, these kidlets are fast friends! Some Kataang building up a little already, eh? Hehe...Kataang... -dreams-**

**Chapter Four coming soon. Review, favorite, PM, whatever! **

**I still need a title! Help me out!**

**PEACE!**


	5. Janitor's Closet

**Ch4**

Six days after the doctor's appointment, Aang randomly got better, and very quickly. One day he was the sickest he had been all week, and the next morning, he was perfectly fine. The only thing reminding him of his sickness was a strange bruise he had gotten on his back when he was sick.

So, since he seemed that he was fine now, the three made an agreement that Aang should start going to school. They got him enrolled into their school, which was for both high and junior high school students. He started that Monday, two days after he got better.

On Sunday, they went to a few stores to buy him school supplies. He got an orange backpack, pencils, notebooks, colored pencils, etc, and packed everything up that night. The next day, he was ready.

They loaded up into Sokka's car and headed to school at around 7:30 AM. School started at eight, and it only took 5 to 10 minutes to get there, depending on the traffic. Aang played with the zipper on his backpack nervously. He hadn't been to a real school for over six years, and he hardly remembered what it was like at all. Of course, he was only in first grade at the time, so he knew it would be much different now that he was in 7th.

Pulling up to the school, Sokka instructed Aang and Katara to 'get their crap together and hop out'. Katara handed Aang some money, which he took, confused. Noticing his expression, Katara answered, "It's for lunch." Aang nodded, and stepped out of the car with his giant backpack, stuffing the money into his pocket.

He and Katara walked into the school together while Sokka went to find a good parking place. Reaching the hall inside, they turned to face eachother. "This is it," Katara said, "I'm over on this side, junior high's that way." She put a hand on his shoulder, and smiled. "Good luck, see you at lunch!" Aang blinked as she walked off in the opposite direction, then after a few seconds, turned to walk the other way.

He then ran face first into something hard, and big. Probably a foot or two higher than him. He looked up to see a scarred face with jet-black hair looking at him evilly. Aang gasped, and then tried to run off behind the stranger, realizing what was probably about to happen. But before he could get away, he found himself getting hit on the head hard, and as his vision slowly went out in from the edges, and as he slowly lost conciousness, he felt the throbbing pain on his head, right above his ear.

Aang awoke in a dark room an hour later, and as he regained his senses, he realized he was tied up and gagged, and in a place that smelled like cleaning supplies and dust.

_Janitor's closet..._ he thought. _What was that about anyway? That kid must be one of those bully dudes Sokka was telling me about...Man, my head hurts. And my ear. Ow..._ He rolled around on the floor, trying to stand up to open the door, only to fail. _Katara...Sokka...Someone...Please come!_ Another hour went by, and in that time, Aang fell asleep.

Lunch time came soon, and Katara checked her watch. _12:30...Aang should've been here half an hour ago! _"Sokka," she said, "Have you seen Aang?"

Sokka, mouth full of food, managed a muffled, but loud "Nhmp- nhnn. Fhwewe hiss fee?" "I wish I knew...Something's wrong, lunch started thirty minutes ago." Sokka swallowed his food. "Maybe he forgot?" "I don't think he would forget about lunch," Katara said. Then, all of a sudden, she gasped. "Zuko! I bet Zuko got him! He gets all the helpless new junior-highs...I've gotta go find Aang, Sokka! I'll see you later!"

She jumped out of her seat, threw away her trash, and then ran out of the cafeteria and down the hall towards the junior high section of the school. Luckily, it was a pretty small school, so she was there within a minute. She began checking all of the closets, knowing that was about the only place Zuko could stuff the new kids, and that it was her best bet.

On the fourth closet, she found Aang, tied up, gagged, and asleep on the floor, dirty mop-water in puddles around him and a few things knocked off the shelves. "Oh God," she whispered. She grabbed Aang's shoulders, ungagged him, and shook him until he blinked his eyes open.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Hey," Katara smiled. "You okay?" "Yea..Just a little headache and really embarressed," he laughed a little. "Don't be. Zuko's just a stupid jerk that has nothing better to do then pick on all the new kids that are like, seven years younger than him. _He's_ the one that should be embarressed. Now come on, let's get you cleaned up."

She reached into her backpack and pulled out a Swiss Army pocket knife, which she then used to free Aang. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem. How long were you in there? Half an hour?" "Uh...All morning, actually. Since you left."

"Aang! That was five hours ago! Are you sure you're fine?" "Yea," he said. "Stop wor -cough- rying." She patted his back and laughed. "Whatever. Just come eat some lunch. You must be hungry." The boy nodded and they walked to the cafeteria.

After lunch, Aang made it to his classroom, where he was introduced and seated. He got through math class without much trouble, though there was the occasional division problems that he messed up on.

Once math class passed, it was time for PE **(Physical Education; Phys Ed; Whatever you like to call it, I call it PE...hehe) **. Aang soon discovered why the kids at the school despised the PE coach so much. He was ruthless.

"Warm ups!" Coach Zhao called. "6 laps around the entire field, against the fence, no stopping! GO!"

The kids all started to run. With small classes, they were able to fit 7th and 8th grade PE's in together, so there were twice as many sweaty, tired kids as there could've been. They were on the third lap when Aang felt light-headed, and his legs gave out. His knees buckled up and he lost feeling in both his legs other than a shooting pain running through them. His breath hitched, and he momentarily lost the ability to breathe as he fell to the ground, onto the patcy grass, and began shaking a little, lying on the ground, his clothes now grass-stained.

A few of the boy's classmates and some 8th graders stopped running and turned around, and another 8th grader ran off to get Zhao.

"Coach Zhao! One of the 7th graders is hurt!" "What?" Zhao asked in his deep voice, "What happened?" "We don't know, he just kind of fell and started shaking!" came the high-pitched, scratchy reply of the preteen.

Zhao sighed and began walking towards the growing crowd of kids standing near the helpless child. "Away from the boy!" Zhao shouted, and a path soon cleared around Aang. The coach stood and watched the small body shake in the grass, rather interested, until one of his students broke him away from his show.

"Coach! What should we do? What if he dies or something?" Zhao sighed once again. The accidental death of one of his kids under his supervision never really occured to him until then. "Have one of the 8th graders go with you to get the nurse, and tell her to get his sister and brother from their classes. The Aguenes', I believe. Hurry along now," he replied, trying to force some fake worry into his voice.

The kid nodded, grabbed one of the 8th graders, and ran off towards the school building.

Zhao tapped Aang with his foot, pulling away as if he was a pile of feces defication **(er...poop. [: )**. He hated getting new kids. Something always had to happen.

Soon enough, the two kids returned, now accompanied by two nurses, a teacher, and Katara and Sokka, who all looked to the ground in a mixed emotion of fear and worry. Aang was no longer shaking, but lay on the ground, completely still. A few tears formed in Katara's eyes. _Not again..._

The nurses checked Aang's pulse, heart rate, and temperature, and then stood up, facing Katara, Sokka, and Zhao. "We're going to need to call an ambulance. This is bad."

Katara watched sadly as they placed Aang on a stretcher, and then loaded him into the ambulance. The driver asked if she and Sokka would like to ride in there with him, and they said that Katara would, but Sokka would just follow in his car. The driver helped Katara up into the back of the ambulance, then shut the door and climbed into the driver's seat.

Soon, they were moving at the fastest speed Katara had ever been in while riding in a car, and the loud _WEEWOO-WEEWOO_ sound peirced her ears. But her eyes and thoughts never left the kid on a stretcher next to her. _Aang...Please be okay...It's been about a week, the blood test results are probably in by now...Maybe they found something, maybe that's why you're...Oh please be okay! _

Within the next ten minutes, they arrived at the same hospital they had visited a week ago. The driver, along with some hospital employees, lifted Aang out of the ambulance and rushed him inside, straight to the emergency room, Katara by his side the whole, painful way.

**Heh, this is turning rather soap-opera-ish. Ohez weeelz.**

**-Suspense! Dun dun dunnn! Or atleast, that's what I'm aiming for. Haha.**

**-Aw, poor Aangy. What a crappy first day. :(**

**-Some grammatical and/or spelling errors. I apologize. Just ignore. :)**

**-Where's Hakoda? He's in Hawaii...Lawlz.**

**-BTW, they live in Arizona. 'Cuz I want them too. And 'cuz that's where I live and I know what it's like and it's easy for me to write about. You can ignore this fact, because it prob will never show up in the story. I think.**

**-Yea, they go to an itty bitty school, like the one I went to before it closed...Yea...Good times..Ha.**

**-Aang...has hair. But not for long!**

**What to look forward to...Or what to expect...:**

**-The explanation to all Aang's crappy feeling-crappy-ness!**

**-H-O-S-P-I-T-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N-M-A-Y-B-E-H-A-H-A-H-A- **

**-Kataanginess...Perhaps.**

**-Drama. Duh. What else? :)**

**-More Aang-pain. Who doesn't like Aang-pain? We love you Aang...We also love to watch you suffer...**

**Hope you enjoyed and continue to enjoy! **

**Chapter..uh...five? yea. coming soon!**

**-Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis-**


	6. Results

**Hey! This chapter basically is just everyone's different views on what's going on.**

**WARNING: Quite dramatic and Aangsty. **

**NOTE: I don't know much about Leukemia, so I'm just using my knowledge that I get from watching movies such as **_**My Sister's Keeper (2009), **_**and reading stuff like **_**Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes**_**. Both are really great, by the way...Anyway, if I did something wrong, please tell me and I'll be happy to change it. Kthnx. Also, this is based upon the three (isn't it three?) virtues - Faith, Hope, and Love.**

**I haven't done a disclaimer in a while, and I feel I need to, so:**

**Disclaimer: I, Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis, hereby declare that I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor it's awesomeness. I am not worthy to stand in the prescense of the makers of this awesomeness, whom is declarethed to be Bryke. **

**So there.**

**Ch5**

_**Katara - Love**_

This wasn't real. This couldn't be real. They had just met...But Katara knew she had feelings for Aang, whether they were brotherly, friendly, or...romantic, she didn't know. But she knew she loved him, she cared about him. And now he was going to die. Just like that.

_No, _Katara thought, _I shouldn't think like that. But...What if he does? Is he going to be able to survive this?_

The blood test results had come in, and what the doctors told Katara and Sokka had them stunned.

Leukemia. Blood cancer.

Death.

These words continuously haunted Katara's thoughts after the doctors told her. It was the bomb. Radiation from the bomb had caused all of Aang's sickness. His number of white blood cells had decreased incrediously since then, and it began taking it's toll on Aang's body quickly. That's what the sickness, the bruises, the collapsing of his body came from. Leukemia.

Aang was now in a white hospital room, tucked into a bed with doctors -and Sokka- standing around him and an IV in his finger, probably scared out of his mind. Katara watched through the window-like wall as the boy looked at them fearfully, the doctors explaining what was happening to him. They were telling him that he'd be stuck in here for a while, most likely lose his hair, but then he'd be fine and out of there soon. But Katara knew what they really knew.

He was dying.

Tears swelled her eyes.

Aang now sat up in his bed, crying in fear. She could see him talking, screaming actually, but couldn't hear him. She was grateful for that much. Just watching him made her sad.

Watching her friend in so much fear brought back painful memories instantly of her mother. How she and her father had gotten divorced, her mom had gone missing, and then after that, all they ever heard of her was that she was dead. Aang's case was entirely different, of course, but it reminded her of another aching part of her heart.

She now focused on Sokka, who was arguing with one of the doctors. Katara smiled slightly. Aang had been the only thing her brother had really cared about since their mother died, other than a small pet or two and a few girlfriends. She thought that having a form of brother made Sokka a happier person. That, she made a mental note of, she would have to thank Aang for.

That's when she decided to make a list. A list of all the things she wanted to thank Aang for, the things she loved about him, the things she felt she needed to tell him. Each day, she decided, she would add something to the list, up until Aang got better...

...Or...

Katara stopped herself. Why was she automatically thinking this way? It made her want to slap herself. This was just about the same way she felt after her mother's death.

Angsty. Depressed. Negative.

She needed to change this for Aang's sake.

_**Sokka - Faith**_

_What...Just happened? What's happening? Why...Oh, God, Aang... _Sokka's thoughts were placed on the boy on a pale white bed in front of him, with doctors crowded around. His thoughts were placed on his new baby brother.

After Aang had gotten sick, Sokka quickly dubbed the kid as his brother. Sure, he hadn't been around long, but their friendship had grown into a brotherly one, and since Aang was living with them anyway, he was about equal to Katara.

Only, he was a boy.

So, Aang was his new brother. And so, Sokka knew that he needed to look out for him, take care of him. But right now, the teenager felt he had failed at his job as an older brother. Aang was sick and dying, he had Leukemia, and he was probably going to die at the oh-so-young age of twelve. He'd never get to experience high-school, girls, college, girls, adulthood, girls, and being a father, or a grandfather, or...

Sokka shook his head. Why was he thinking about girls when his brother was dying?

He peered down at the younger boy. His face was pale and his sad gray eyes were clouded with tears as the doctors explained everything to him.

"Aang," one said, "Do you remember the bombing?" Aang nodded solemnly. "Well, radiation from the bomb traveled into your blood stream, and attacked your system. That's why you've been sick. Then, when your body gave out...That's when your white blood cells had gone to a level that they couldn't come back out of. What you have is called **(Acute...Something I can't remember) **Leukemia, which is a type of blood cancer, which can be treated, but may not work for long. I'm sorry."

Both Sokka, Katara, and Aang froze at the doctor's words. They were terrified for Aang. Terrified that he wouldn't make it...And simply terrified of what might lie ahead of them. How were they supposed to pay for all of this? Their dad hadn't even met Aang before, and he and his sister knew that they didn't have enough money even if they pulled together. Sokka feared that they would have to send Aang to an orphanage, or to a family that could pay all the hospital bills he was probably going to need.

But money wasn't the thing that bothered Sokka. It was the fact that he felt he wasn't there for his little siblings when they needed him most. Katara needed him. She wasn't going to be able to get through this, whether Aang lived or not, without Sokka. And Aang...Aang needed his support the most now. He needed his big brother and sister to take care of him, to make him feel safe, and loved. Sokka hoped he could be there for the both of them.

_**Aang - Hope**_

_Cute...A cute...Acute? Lyotinbick..chick...Leukemia...What? _Aang lay on the pale white bed, tucked into a pale white blanket, leaning against a pale white pillow, inside a pale white room, which doctors wearing pale white coats (or..whatever those things are..hehe) around him, telling him something about white, white, white, and...blood? Cancer? He couldn't seem to process anything after that...He felt like he had gone braindead.

"...which can be treated, but may not work..." _I...I'm going to die... _he thought, catching a bit of the doctor's last few words. _I...don't want to die..._ A few tears slid down his cheeks. He looked over towards Sokka, who was standing off to the side of the small crowd of doctors, nurses, and students - who were learning how to be both.

"No..." Aang whispered. "NO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! STOP LYING! SOKKA, MAKE THEM STOP LYING!" Sokka looked down sadly. He knew there was nothing he could do. They were telling him the truth. "Aang," he said quietly, walking towards the boy, and resting on one knee beside him. "...They're not lying."

The world began to spin around Aang. His life, his hopes, his dreams...How could they be gone so quickly? Just yesterday he was fine, and now...Now he was beginning a fight between life and death.

_I need to win this..._ Aang thought. But he felt so...tired. So cold...So scared.

"Sokka...I...I'm scared..." he whispered. "It's okay," Sokka replied, also whispering, "I'm here for you, buddy. We'll make it through this." Sokka managed a small, hopeful smile, which Aang returned, unsure. Tears began to stream down his face, "I don't want to die..." Sokka pulled him into a hug. _I can't die..._ Aang thought as he cried on his brother's shoulder.

**Phew! Sorry about the rushed ending, I was just trying to escape from all the Aangst. Hehe...**

**Yea, Aang's portion was pretty short, but who cares. **

**K...**

**-Yayz for Aang-pain!**

**-Hm..Kataang coming? Not sure...**

**-Yay for Sokaang brotherliness! I wuvz dat. They iz good bros.**

**-Oh, so dramatic. Or that's what I'm shootin' for. Lolz.**

**-Yea, Aang and Hakoda haven't met yet. Actually, they may never meet. Who knows haaha.**

**Nay...**

**-Seemed short to me...Idk. I'm on WordPad.**

**-So so so so so so so SO sorry if I jacked any of the Leukemia info stuff up. I do not want to offend any Leukemia patients and/or survivors, nor the deceased, so no offense. I'm just a 12 year old without a life in a messy room on a puny laptop. Bear with me.**

**-Kind of rushed ending. Idk. Sowwyz.**

**See ya'll next time!**

**-Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis-**

**:) Peace! **


	7. Appa

**NOTE: The **_**italics**_** that are in BOLD are the things on Katara's list that was mentioned last chapter. :)**

**Ch6**

_**Day One - You made Sokka care again**_

"Hey, buddy, sleep well?" Sokka said, walking into Aang's hospital room.

Aang was just awakening. He had cried himself to sleep last night, and had stayed asleep all night and through to the next morning. The child nodded sleepily, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands.

"Yea... Just...Had the weirdest-" he looked up, and realizing where he was, said, "Oh...It was real..."

"Yea," Sokka replied. "But hey, don't worry about it. After you fell asleep, the doctors said that since they had found the leukemia so soon, they'd probably be able to treat it without any problems, and you'd be set! You've got your whole life ahead of you, Aang!" The sixteen year old smiled.

"Oh..." Aang said.

"Dude!" Sokka said, almost laughing. "Stop worrying! You just gotta have some hope for once!"

Aang, along with Katara, who had just walked in, stared at Sokka with strange and almost scared expressions on their faces.

"What?" Sokka asked.

"Uh...Nothing," Katara replied. "Nothing...at...all..."

"Ooookay then," Sokka said, still smiling hysterically as he walked out.

"What's up with _him_?" Aang asked Katara as she came over to him with some breakfast.

"I'm not quite sure. I think he's just...I don't know. Maybe he got into someone's medicine or something." The two laughed. Katara handed Aang a bowl of oatmeal. "Here. Your nurse said you should have something to eat, and she recommended oatmeal, so I went and made you some." "Thanks," Aang said, taking the bowl and beginning to eat the hot food.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. The doctor said that you'll be able to go home today, but you'll just have to come back on Thursday for some sort of treatment." Katara smiled. Aang almost spewed the oatmeal out of his mouth in excitement.

"REALLY?" "Yes, really!" Katara laughed. Aang set his oatmeal on a stand next to his bed and grabbed Katara into a crazed hug, which she gladly returned, smiling. She was glad to see him happy again.

After having some lunch later on, the three drove home, Aang in the front seat with a black bag in his hand. The hospital had given them a bag full of medical supplies in case something were to happen, and the nurse had explained to them what each item was for.

The boy was smiling. He had thought he would have to stay in that hospital for the rest of his life, and being able to come home, even if it was only for two nights, filled him, not to mention Sokka and Katara, with hopefullness.

They arrived at their house, and as soon as they did, they ran outside to the backyard.

The yard was HUGE.

It had a trampoline, a small corn maze, a swingset, a large sandbox, a pool, and lots of wide open, grassy space and trees. Aang's jaw dropped. How had he not noticed all of this before?

It was heaven for twelve year olds **(really? yes really. i'm twelve, and i'd totally flip out. haha)**.

The three jumped onto the trampoline. Well, Sokka did, Katara helped Aang get up onto it and then pulled herself up. She held Aang's hand as they jumped. He was still rather weak and a little sick, and she didn't want to risk anything happening on their day and a half of fun before he had to go back for treatments.

They jumped and jumped and jumped, and then went through the corn maze a few times before it got dark. That's when they made a small campfire in the backyard and roasted hotdogs for dinner, laughing and telling jokes and stories for more than an hour.

It was about nine thirty when they decided to hit the sack. Aang was completely wiped out, and Katara and Sokka had stayed up late last night, and had gotten up early that morning, and were tired. So, since it was pretty warm, they camped out under the stars. Aang smiled as he fell asleep. This had to have been the best day he'd had in a long, long time.

The next day, which was a Wednesday, they got up at around 8:30 and headed to the store. They didn't buy much, just some groceries, and then headed home.

On the way home, however, Aang screamed at Sokka to stop while they passed a small pet store. Sokka screeched on the brakes, and then turned and parked in front of the pet store. The three ran inside.

Aang looked over the array of animals. There were birds, cats, fish, snakes, and lizards, but one animal immediately caught Aang's eye. It was a strange looking, shaggy white puppy with greyish-brown stripes that almost looked like arrows running along the animal's body. The puppy was laying alone in a cage, looking sad. The boy automatically fell in love.

"KATARA! KATARA COME HERE!" he screamed. Katara, thinking something was wrong, ran to his side. "What is it? Are you okay?" "Yea, I'm fine! Look!" Katara peered into the small cage, and her heart melted. "Awwww! Sokka! Come look!" Sokka walked over to them, and then Katara pulled him off to the side.

"Sokka, we've gotta get him, for Aang! Do you know how much that would mean to him? A lot...So please, please plea-" "Yes." Katara gasped. "What?" "I said yes." "Uh..Are you sure that you're Sokka?" "Yes. Katara, I care about Aang, too," Sokka replied, offering a smile. Katara pulled him into a fierce hug. "Oh thank you thank you a million times..THANK YOU!" Sokka smiled and returned the hug.

The sixteen year old walked up to one of the employees. "Excuse me? I'd like to adopt that puppy over there," he said, gesturing towards where Aang and Katara stood, admiring the dog.

"Alright!" the worker replied, sounding relieved that someone was finally adopting the pup. "Just come over here and fill out the paperwork, and we'll have him all set." "Thanks," Sokka said, beginning to fill out the adoption forms.

After a while, he finished, and they were driving home, Aang holding the puppy in his arms and a cage in the back of the car. He was happier than he had ever been in his entire life. The whole way home, Aang continuously thanked Sokka and Katara, and laughed as the puppy continued licking him happily. Aang knew what it felt like to have a real home after being locked up for so long, and he easily related to the dog.

"So," Sokka said. "What're you gonna name him?" Aang thought for a second. Giving the dog a name didn't exactly occur to him until Sokka asked, but he knew right away what he wanted to name him.

"Appa."

**Okay, I'm pretty sure this is the shortest chapter so far, and I'm sorry for that. Just thought I'd squeeze in some happy time since there's probably going to be more Aangst coming up here pretty soon, and after I put them through all this crap, I thought they deserve a little reward. Haha.**

**NOTES 'N' CRAP:**

**-I wish I had a backyard like that! That'd be quite flameo :p**

**-Yayz for puppies! **

**-Aw, Katara held Aang's hand. How...random. :)**

**-Wow, Sokka was quite OOC in the chappie...Or was he...?**

**-Yayz for Appa!**

**-Yayz for excited pet store employees!**

**-Yayz for teenagers adopting kids, puppies, and paying hospital bills without any parent consent!**

**-Yayz for...Okay, that's enough.**

**-Comic is coming along pretty good. :)**

**Please review, favorite, or whatever. Haha. I 3 feedback, and really, really appreciate it. I spend a lot of time working on this, and it makes me happy to read what you guys say. **

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**-Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis-**


	8. Chemo and a Beany

**Ch7**

_**Day Two - You are the strongest twelve year old I've ever met**_

Thursday came all too quickly, and soon they were packing a few things up and heading to the hospital. A friend of Sokka's was keeping an eye on Appa for the day since they weren't sure if they could bring pets to the hospital, and they couldn't leave Appa home alone, yet they wanted to be there for Aang.

On the way there, Aang stared out the window solemnly. He hadn't the slightest idea what it was going to be like, and he was scared. _What if it hurts? _he thought. Katara, though she had no idea either, kept attempting to reassure him that everything would be fine, that it would be completely painless. Aang didn't believe her. That was what she had said about the blood test.

And was that painful? Yes, it was.

They got to the hospital, and walked inside once again, this time to the cancer treatment part of the hospital, where the same doctor and nurse they had met a few days ago were waiting for them.

Katara watched as Aang's dark brown, almost black hair, fell to the floor in soft clumps as he leaned over and began throwing up water into a bucket. It made her heart melt once again. Chemotherapy didn't look fun. She was sure Aang would never beleive her about anything she said ever again, because she was sure he was in pain right now.

Sokka watched, almost interested, but also creeped out. He'd never seen anyone get rid of that much water so quickly, and it was strange how the hair on Aang's head just drifted down, revealing more and more of the blue arrow on his scalp **(don't ask why he has his arrows...aang's just not aang without his arrows [: ) **. It made him want to throw up himself.

Aang continued to spew water out of his mouth for a few seconds, then finally stopped, leaning onto Sokka, who, sitting next to him, handed him a cup of water and a tissue. Aang took a long drink, and then wiped his face. Not much of his hair was left on his head.

Sokka softly patted his back. Aang didn't feel good at all, but he knew it was for the best. Katara looked down at him in awe. He was probably the strongest twelve year old she had ever met. She smiled sadly.

What seemed like an eternity later, the chemo session was over. Aang was completely bald, save for his blue arrows. Sokka gave Aang the beany hat he had been wearing, and Aang slipped it on. After a while, to Aang's relief, they went home. He officially hated the hospital.

**Yea, this is the shortest chapter there's going to be, so don't worry. I just had to get that little bit in, and I thought that was a good way to end the chapter. Don't worry, though, next chapter will be longer! :)**

**-Aang has his arrows 'cuz they rock. You can't have Aang without his arrows! :P**

**-I know nothing about what happens during chemotherapy, other than people usually throw up a lot of water and they lose their hair. Please don't diss me! Also, I couldn't look it up because our internet wasn't working when I wrote this. So there. :p**

**-Aw, more brother-love. Hehe. There wasn't much Katara in this at all. Then again, there wasn't much anything...**

**-REEEALY SHORT :(**

**Hope you're enjoying this so far! Chapter...Uh..Eight (already?) Coming soon :)**

**Wow, I don't think I've ever gotten this far in any story ever. I'm so proud of myself. Lol. **

**-Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis-**


	9. Author's Note

**Author's note/ Update**

Hello, dear Fanfickers, readers, critics, Avatards, etc!

This is just a short (hopefully) little author's note and update, and I'm sorry to be putting this right in the middle of a story.

_**Feedback**_

Anyway, I wanted to say that if you're going to review telling me something that needs to be fixed, please state which Chapter it is in, and if you also put the paragraph that'd be super helpful, but I'll just take the Chapter number, too.

Feedback is super helpful and very motivating. I do not except extremely pointless, purposely mean flames, only helpful flames...If that makes sense. So if you're going to say something mean that won't help me at all, don't say anything.

You can PM me, review, or whatever. I reallyz 3 feedback! :)

_**Advertising**_

Okay, so me and my friend are writing a book that right now we are calling "Branded". You can check that out at... letreads . webs . com ..(without the spaces, so without hiphens it'd be l-e-t-r-e-a-d-s-.-w-e-b-s-.-c-o-m)

To read the first chapter, you have to become a member of the site, which is free and really easy to do. Just go to either the member's page of the Branded page, and go from there. (Say you're from FanFic!)

_**Help!**_

This story needs a good name! If you have any ideas for a title, please PM me or leave a review saying "I think a good name for this would be..." or something like "You should name it..." Please help! Thanks :)

**Chapter 8 is coming soon.**

**Peace!**

**-Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis-**


	10. Love

**All credits for this chapter go to my wonderful editor, Aneladam, who came up with the second half of it. Thanks so much. Don't know what'd I'd do with this story without you. :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but hopefully I'll get some nice A:TLA merchandise for Christmas. XP**

**Ch8**

_Day Three – You're like a great storm._

After Katara and Aang woke up the next morning, they walked downstairs. Katara watched Aang's feet the whole way down, counting how many times he almost fell and broke his neck.  
9...10...He was able to walk down by himself now, just with a lot of trouble, almost tripping so many times. She guessed the stairways made him get dizzy. Katara didn't like him going up and down the stairs by himself, for fear of what may happen and her not being there. She sighed.  
Sokka was at school that day (Friday), but Katara and Aang had decided to stay home. They needed the rest. This past week had been close to hell for them, minus their two days of fun. Aang went into the laundry room and let Appa out of his small kennel, and then they took him out to use the bathroom (er..the grass?). It was now late fall, and starting to become very cold outside in the mornings and evenings.  
The two had some breakfast, and then sat down on the couch under a large blanket, pressing up next to eachother to create body heat. Aang grabbed the TV remote and began flipping through the channels and stopped at Nickelodeon. Katara stifled a laugh. Of all times, and out of all the channels, he picks this. Smooth.  
They watched some cartoons, Katara's head resting on Aang's bony shoulder. 'This is nice,' Katara thought, 'I just hope we get to have a lot more of this...'  
After a half an hour or so later, they began hearing the soft beating of rain on the rooftop. Katara smied. She loved the rain, and she knew Aang loved it, also. This was the perfect morning, and she was going to make sure nothing messed it up.

-

Katara and Aang skipped lunch that day. Neither were hungry, and both were too caught up in the moment, not to mention the cartoons, to want to get up or move the slightest bit. After a while, though, the two fell asleep - Aang ended up in a rather awkward position on top of Katara, and Katara held a sleepy smile on her face. They wre fast asleep, and didnt even hear when Sokka rushed in, screaming at Aang to get off of Katara.  
Katara peeked her eyes open at this, but Aang remained asleep. "Shott opp, Sukka..." she said quietly, drifting back to sleep. Sokka sighed and walked to the kitchen, dropping Aang's and Katara's loads of homework on the counter.

Soon, Katara and Aang began working on their homework. After a few subjects, Katara found herself more and more distracted. It was his eyes. Those beautiful, strange, unique, stormy grey eyes. She couldn't help it when she stopped working on her math and stared into them. They were like a storm out at sea on a cloudy day. Terrifyingly beautiful.

She sat like this for the longest time, just looking into his eyes. Katara couldn't bare to think of ever losing him. She hadn't known him for all that long, but he had soon become her purpose in life, her…everything. He meant the world to her, and to have him leave…The girl couldn't even say it. It would tear her apart.

_But is it more than that? _She thought. _Do I love him…like…like that? _

Aang had found himself in a similar situation many times before, just staring at Katara or off into space, with her on his mind. The thought of dying didn't really bother him. It was the thought of how much it would affect Katara that did. It almost hurt to know how much pain she'd be in if he lost this battle.

The boy looked up to find Katara staring at him longingly. They stared at each other for a second or two, and then burst out laughing. The irony of the same thought crossing their minds; or at least similar thoughts; at the same time just felt hilarious.

Sokka burst into the room, a look of skepticism etched upon his face.

"…What's so funny?" he asked, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Oh…It's nothing," Katara said, still trying to escape the giggles.

Sokka sighed skeptically, and walked out of the room. Skeptically.

After almost an hour or so, Katara and Aang had both finished up their homework.

"Want somethin' to eat?" Katara asked, slipping her books into her backpack.

"Yes please," Aang replied, doing the same.

The two walked into the kitchen. Katara opened the fridge and peered inside. Knowing he was a vegetarian, she skipped the lunch meat and went to the other items. "Let's see. We have leftover rice and vegetables from last night, fruit salad, normal salad, waffles, or I could make you a sandwich. What would you like?"

"Hm…Rice please."

"Alright. Just a sec," Katara replied, pulling the plastic container that held the food out of the fridge.

Katara stuck Aang's food in the microwave, and while it heated up she made herself a waffle coated with chocolate syrup and strawberries. Aang's food finished heating up and the two ate.

Afterwards, they went out into the backyard to play on the trampoline and water some of the plants while Sokka ran to the supermarket to pick up some groceries.

They jumped on the trampoline for a while, then got off and stood in the shade of some large trees. "Aang," Katara said, panting, a smile on her face. "I'm going to go feed Appa real quick. I'll be right back, 'kay?" "'Kay," Aang nodded, also panting quietly. The girl walked inside.

The sun blared down on Aang's skin as he stood near one of the trees. He could feel himself getting sunburned, even under the shade. It was unusually hot that day, to Aang's distaste. He felt lightheaded.

Moments later, Katara came back outside to find Aang lying in the grass, shaking. "Aang!" she shouted.

Katara ran inside, grabbed the phone, dialed Sokka's cell phone number and then ran back outside.

"Sokka, come home now! Something's wrong with Aang!"

"What do you mean?" came Sokka's voice from the other line.

"Something's wrong! We were jumping on the trampoline, and then I went in to feed Appa, and when I came back, he was just lying in the grass shaking like crazy, and he won't stop," tears began to build up in her eyes. "Sokka please come home, please!"

Sokka heard the worry in his sister's voice. "Okay! I'm coming. Just try to stay calm and whatever you do, don't move him. Call the hospital. I'll be there in a few minutes." He hung up.

Katara dialed the hospital's number. They had written it on a piece of paper and taped it to all of the phones in case there was an emergency. After Katara told her what was happening, the nurse that picked up told them they would send an ambulance to pick them up. Katara thanked the lady and hung up. By that time, Sokka had arrived and was kneeling next to Aang, who had stopped shaking, but remained still, breathing hard and crying.

After loading Aang up and having Katara once again sit with him and having Sokka drive behind, they reached the hospital. Aang sat on a hospital bed, his skin washed of color. Katara wanted to cry every time she looked at him. He seemed like a ghost. **(No offense to people with leukemia, cancer, etc. None at all.)**

A doctor examined Aang, and told them he would need another chemo session right away. Aang looked to Katara, with fear etched into his stormy eyes. Katara's heart melted. She knew how much he hated this. She stood, bent over next to him, and whispered into his ear.

"Don't worry. After this, I'll take you to one of my most favorite places in the world. You're going to love it. Trust me."

Aang smiled, excited. If Katara loved it that much, it must be great. He nodded.

The session was the most painful and violent he had ever had. Not only did he have to go through the radiation process, but he also had to get multiple IVs, which hurt like hell. But through the whole thing, he kept a tiny but weak smile on his face. He couldn't wait for it to be over and to be able to go to wherever it was Katara had told him about.

After it was over, they drove home and got Appa, then blindfolded Aang and sat him in the backseat of the car next to Katara. "No peaking!" she said. "I won't!" Aang promised. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel the _thump thump thumping _when they went over rocks and bumps and the difference between the paved highway and the rocky dirt roads leading to somewhere he hadn't been before.

Around half an hour passed before they finally stopped.

"Okay," Katara said, "Here we are!" She untied Aang's blindfold slowly, then flung it onto the ground, spreading her arms out in front of her. "Spirit Oasis Lake!"

Aang gasped at the sight. Behind them sat a beautiful, lush, green forest of pine and aspen trees. They were standing, though, at the shore of the most amazing lake Aang had ever seen. The water was unbelievably clear, and you could see fish swimming back and forth, mainly large coy. There was no one else for as far as they could see, not even fishers. The sun reflected on the lake water beautifully, mixing the colors like water-paints. He smiled.

"You like it?" Katara asked, also smiling.

He looked into her eyes. They reflected the sun just like the lake.

Aang nodded. "I…I think I'm in love…"

Katara hugged him, glad he loved the lake so much.

Little did she know that he wasn't just talking about nature.

**Nice little ending there, right? Haha. **

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. But now that it's winter break, you can expect faster updates. :D**

**I probably won't be able to update around:**

***Christmas – Because, it's well, Christmas**

***New year's/New year's eve – My uncle is getting married**

**Other than that, I should be updating unless something comes up.**

**Again, I have no experience whatsoever with leukemia, nor do I know anyone who has it, therefore I am no expert. Neither is my editor, Aneladam, who gets credit for this chappie, or at least as far as I know.**

**-Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis-**


	11. Thirteen

**Hey! WARNING: Minor language, with words including damn and b!tch, but only once each, so no worries. Just read the story, why don't ya.**

**Chapter Nine**

_**Day Four - You're selfless**_

The following weekend went by fast. On Monday, the three woke up early. While Sokka made some breakfast, Aang slipped into the seat next to Katara in the kitchen.

"Morning," he said, rubbing his eyes with his hands.

"G'morning," Katara replied.

"So," Aang said, "I was thinking..."

"Yea?" She took a sip of her hot coffee.

"I was thinking that maybe...Maybe I could go to school today?"

And that's when the coffee shot out of her mouth and onto his face. Aang cringed at the burning wet sensation that just flew out of no where onto his face.

"YOU WHAT?" she yelled, wiping the coffee off her face.

Aang followed suit, "I _said_ I want to go to school today. Is that too much to ask?"

"Aang! Do you remember what happened the last time you went there? Zuko beat you to a pulp!"

"I know that. But now that I know who he is, I can be prepared, and-"

"NO. I don't want you to get hurt again!"

"Katara! I'm not going to get hurt! You always act like I'm fricking two years old! I just want to get out of this God damned house for once and DO something! I don't care what you say, I'm going!" Aang yelled, banging on the counter.

Katara and Sokka stared at Aang, their mouths agape. Through all this time with the boy, they had never heard words like that come from his mouth. Katara looked rather hurt.

Aang sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. It's just-"

"It's okay. I forgive you. You can go. Just...Go get dressed, breakfast is almost ready."

Aang nodded and went upstairs -carefully- to get ready.

Aang was welcomed back to school happily by his classmates. No one in his grade disliked him at all, and the majority of the older kids there couldn't hold anything against him, no matter how much they wanted to be able to sometimes, Zuko and his cronies being the exception.

The twelve year old began the walk to his first class and least favorite subject, History, when he remembered that he needed to first get his books from his locker. Aang turned around and started running towards his locker, not daring to be late on his first day back in school again.

Reaching his locker, he froze. Standing at the water fountain right next to where his locker was were Zuko and his little gang. The scarred teenager glanced up at the child, and shot him an evil-looking smile.

Before Aang could do anything, he felt someone grasping tightly onto his arms, digging their nails into his skin. He cringed, feeling blood begin to draw from it. Zuko stepped up to him slowly, making Aang more and more nervous with each step.

"There you are, baldie. Where've you been? I've missed beating on you," Zuko said, taking him from his friend, who was holding Aang, and replacing his friend's hands with his dirty ones.

"Shut up, Z...Zuko! Ahh!" he squeezed his eyes shut in pain as Zuko released his grip with one hand and landed it into Aang's stomach through a hard punch. Some blood dripped from Aang's mouth, and tears built up in his eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"Just teaching you to take care of yourself, little man," Zuko replied, landing another hard hit to Aang's head, resulting in the small boy whimpering pitifully. He looked up to see Katara walking by to her math class, and starting yelling at her to come. Katara jolted her head up at hearing someone scream her name, and when she saw Zuko hitting Aang, she could hardly contain her anger.

"AANG! ZUKO, YOU LITTLE-"

Katara leaped onto Zuko's back, clawing her long nails into his skin with one hand and punching him in the side of his head with the other, but Zuko wouldn't release his grasp on Aang. The deeper Katara plunged her nails into Zuko, the deeper Zuko plunged his nails into Aang, who was now shreiking in pain as blood slowly flowed from his arms.

"LET GO OF ME YOU LITTLE B!TCH!" Zuko yelled, dropping Aang. After hitting Zuko a few more times until his ear started bleading. "GOD DAMN IT, KATARA!" Zuko yelled. He was about to turn and attack her when suddenly a group of teenage boys came running towards them. Katara soon identified them as Sokka and some of his friends.

"HEY!" Sokka yelled. "Leave my little sister and brother alone!" All of the boys took fighting stances. Half of them were wrestlers.

Zuko stepped back, motioning for his cronies to do the same. "Come on, guys, let's not waste our time fighting with a bunch of girls. Let's get going."

The group walked off. "Yea you better run!" Sokka muttered after them. The group of six, along with Katara kneeled down around Aang, and Katara took him into her arms. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yea...Yea, I'm fine," Aang replied, holding his bleeding arm. Katara held him in a hug.

After the fight, Sokka went to the principal and asked if the three could be excused for the rest of the day. The principal agreed, and Sokka drove them home. They sat down on the couch while Katara bandaged Aang up with a first aid kit.

"That," Aang said, "Had to be one of the worst birthdays I've ever had."

Katara stopped what she was doing and froze. "Oh my God, Aang! Today was your birthday? We could've planned a party, bought presents, gone to lunch... Why didn't you tell us?"

Aang laughed, "Because I didn't want you to throw a big fit about it!"

She returned the laugh and continued her work. "Do you have something about birthdays or something?"

Aang's face fell, "Yea..."

"What? What could you possibly have against your birthday?"

"It...My sixth birthday...That was the day after my parents died..."

Katara froze once more, "Oh God, Aang, I'm so sorry, I didn't know..."

"It's okay, Katara, there's nothing you could do to change that. It's just something I'm gonna have to live with."

She hugged him. "Maybe a trip to Spirit Oasis will lighten it up a bit?"

He looked up at her with a small smile and nodded.

An hour later, Sokka dropped them off at the lake and drove home. Aang didn't question why Sokka simply left them there alone, nor why he was returning in the long time of four hours. He was just happy to be here with his best friend...Maybe more...But he was happy to be there.

Today, since it was pretty warm, they had worn their bathing suits underneath their clothes. As soon as they arrived, they tore off their overclothing and jumped into the water. Both were stunned at how soothing and perfect the temperature of the water was. They had expected it to be a lot colder. The two splashed and swam. Aang loved to watch Katara in the water, she seemed so graceful. _Maybe today isn't too bad, _he thought.

Four hours passed quickly, and soon they were on their way home. They pulled up into the driveway, and walked up to the door. Sokka unlocked the front door. Everything seemed perfectly normal until the door was opened, they stepped inside, and Katara flicked on the lights.

Suddenly, the three were greeted by around two dozens of kids shouting, "SURPRISE!" to Aang. He smiled brightly. All of his classmates, along with some friends of Katara and Sokka that he knew stood in the room, some throwing confetti every which-way, others striking funny poses. Each had a huge smile to match Aang's.

They all stood and walked towards him, and everyone pulled him into a giant group hug, with "Happy birthday, Aang!"s coming from everyone. After the hug broke, one of Aang's classmates came from the laundry room, holding something that was covered with a throw blanket. The kid, whose name was Janteo, set the thing on the ground and motioned for Aang to uncover it. Aang kneeled down and slowly lifted the blanket off of it, revealing a cage with a small chihuahua dog in it. The boy was speechless.

In all of his life, and even having twelve birthdays, this one had to have been the best. They partied all night long, until it reached around midnight and most of the kids started retreating home. Sokka's friends stayed the night, and by 1:00 AM, everyone else had left and all of the presents had been opened. Aang loved each and every one of them, from the ones that costed a few dollars to the more expensive ones. He hadn't had birthday presents since his fifth birthday.

The next morning, they got a call from the hospital saying that Aang no longer needed chemotherapy, and that the next day he had one more doctor's appointment, and he'd be set. They guessed that today he probably felt weak and tired and sick, and they did guess right, but they said he wouldn't need any more treatment, and that the pain wouldn't last long. Aang stood and jumped around, his new pet, Momo, tucked into one arm, and Appa tucked into the other, happily. No more chemo!

**Hey, guys! Hope you like the story so far...Here're some notes:**

**-We're never ever going to hear anything from Hakoda. Sokka has been writing to him, but hasn't mentioned anything about Aang. Heh, that sly dog...**

**-So as I was re-reading the last chapter, I realized that the weather was all jacked up, one minute it was raining, and the next it was really hot. Well, I meant to have lines in there, but forgot to put them in because I was posting it in a bit of a hurry, so ignore that. Arizona has some weird weather, anyway...**

**-Yea, it's Aang's birthday! Woot for thirteeness! **

**-Zuko's a big fat jerk. -_-**

**-Aang's got some language now that he's thirteen! Y que la!**

**-Edited by Katara walking on the rain. :)**

**The Bloodbender at Full Moon** - Hopefully that's in a good way. XP

**Avatar Obessession** - (Ch3) Yay! (Ch4) You guessed correctly! (AN) Pretty good name! Haha. (Ch8) Here is your update! Thanks. I try. :D

**Emily** - Thanks so much! I didn't think I could actually write good enough for you to cry, haha. Yea, me too! You should totally get an account on here, it makes life better, lol. Wow...Thanks!

**Emily (again XD)** - Yea, I've heard about that before. Sounds pretty fun. Good name idea, thanks!

**Anyway, leave some feedback, it makes meh happy! :D**

**-Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis-**


	12. Tears

**Hey! This Chapter is really short...I was going to make it longer, but I didn't want to spoil the Aangsty mood. Thus, shortness. Anyway, enjoy! WARNING: Aangst!**

**Chapter 10**

_**Day Five - I never want to lose you**_

Sokka had called in after the party and let the principal know that they would be gone all week. On the way to his last doctor's appointment, Aang stared out the window, smiling. He was going to get his hair back...He was going to get his _life _back. He sat up and then leaned against Katara, breathing in her scent, eyes closed. Katara smiled slightly, blushing. He was going to be okay.

They reached the hospital. Normally, Aang would've looked to the pale white buildings in fear, but today, he felt different about it. Happy. This would be the last time he'd see it in a long time, so he took in the sight, breathed in the smell, and listened to the soft humming of the heaters coming from inside as they neared the front door. They went inside, and then to the room the nurse directed them to. Everything seemed familiar, the doctor greeted them, offered them some candy or juice, sat Aang down on the bed. Until he asked Sokka and Katara to step outside with him to talk.

"What is it?" Sokka asked, shutting the door behind them. "The reason I wanted you to come here for this last appointment," said Doctor Zuan, their first doctor, "Is because...Aang...We fear he's not going to make it to Christmas. His recent tests have showed that he's getting worse. The more treatment we gave him, the worse it got. We think it was because we let him away from the hospital so much, normally patients would stay longer. It messed up his immune system, and that's why he's been feeling sick these past couple days. We don't want to give him more chemotherapy, it'd probably kill him...It's best if he just goes home and enjoys his last month. I'm sor-" "WHAT?" Katara screamed, inturrupting him.

"Katara, calm down!" Sokka said, holding his sister as not to let her attack the aging man. "NO! DON'T YOU EVER TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! AANG'S NOT GOING TO DIE! He...he can't!" Katara went limp, leaning into her brother, crying. "He's not going to die..." she whispered.

"I'll leave you two alone," Zuan said, walking back into the room, where Aang sat on the bed, joyful curiousity blended into his stormy eyes. "Where're Katara 'n' Sokka?" Aang asked the doctor, swinging his legs back and forth. "They're just outside the door," Zuan replied. Aang hopped off the bed, walked to the door, and opened it slowly. Katara was on her hands and knees, her hair a mess and tears streaming from her eyes down off her chin. Sokka was kneeling next to her, rubbing her back, a sad expression on his face. The sixteen year old looked up at Aang sadly.

"Wh...What's wrong?" Aang asked, his face falling as he kneeled down next to the two. "Is Katara okay?" Without warning, he was pulled into a fierce hug, Katara's nails clawing into his shirt. She held him right against him, and he could feel her warmth and her tears plastering to his face. Aang looked at Sokka, confused. Sokka just stared at him sadly, not saying anything. He wiped a tear from his cheek. The child looked scared now, his happiness completely gone. _Why are they crying? _he thought, _I thought everything was okay now!_

Tears began to fill the boy's eyes. He had no idea what was going on, but he was scared. He felt like he was going to throw up and he could barely breathe with how tight Katara was holding onto him. He sighed and leaned into the hug. He hated them being so sad. Aang closed his eyes and waited for this all to be over.

**Sad stuff there. Or at least I hope so. XD. Again, sorry if I'm getting any information wrong, I'm just a kid.**

**NOTES:**

**-I think Katara's going to take this harder than Aang! Holy crap, man.**

**-Poor Aang. Clueless.**

**-Sokka's just...Speechless.**

**-Yay for Zuan's reappearence! Lol.**

**-Why does everyone seem to glomp poor Aang? :3 I would...**

**-Okay, the inspiration for this story is Dax Locke. Dax was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia at the age of 13 months. Go to Youtube, search "One Last Christmas", and click on the first result. It's really sad. :( RIP little man.**

**Hope you likey! Sorry again for the shortness.**

**-Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis- (..not my real name. Derp dee der!)**


	13. Numb

**Chapter 11**

Hours passed before they finally went home. Katara never let go of Aang, she dug her nails into his skin so deep, Aang wondered if they'd ever come out. He didn't mind the pain, though, his arms had gone numb long ago. Katara watched over him like a mother bear, growling at anyone who came near him. As soon as they got home, Katara ran up to her room, Aang in tow, and flung herself onto her bed, crying into her pillow. Aang sat in a chair next to her bed, watching her.

_What's up with her? _Aang wondered, _Isn't everything supposed to be okay now, isn't the cancer gone? _Then it hit him. No more chemo. Katara and Sokka crying. _Last _doctor's appointment...He was going to die. His eyebrows knitted together, and he suddenly felt nauceous. He was going to...to die...

He slumped out of the chair and onto the floor, holding his head in his hands. Hearing a _thump, _Katara slowly raised her head up, and then peered over the side of her bed. Her face was pinkish and her eyes were rimmed with red from crying, and dried tears covered her face. Aang looked up at her, his eyes childish and scared. "Katara?" he asked, his voice cracking into a high pitched, sad sounding question.

"Yea?" she whispered, wiping her face.

"I'm...I'm going to...I'm going to die..." Aang whispered the last part, "...Aren't I?"

Katara reached down and grabbed him, pulling him onto the bed without any effort, he was practically weightless. Aang lay in Katara's warmth, one arm over him as she pulled the blankets over them both. Aang closed his eyes, a warm tear streaming down his cheek. The girl kissed his forehead softly. Katara held him there, rubbing his back in a motherly manner until he fell asleep.

* * *

Aang woke up the next day in Katara's bed. He kneeled, shrugged the covers off, and then stood, but soon fell onto his side. His legs had given out completely, they were numb. The boy turned onto his stomach, and army crawled to the bedroom door. He pushed on it, and the door swung open, but he found he was out of breath, and completely exausted. _What's going on? _he wondered, _Why am I so...tired?_

"Katara? Katara! Where are you?"

He listened for a few seconds, but with no response, just layed on the floor, flat on his stomach, limbs stretched out like a tired dog. Aang sighed. He felt so alone...So weak...So tired...

Thinking back, he remembered feeling this way just before he had gone into a coma when he was just six years old. When his house burned down, his injuries had cost him four unconsious years in the hospital. Just before closing his eyes and going into that coma, he had felt so weak and tired, like lifting his arms or legs took all the strength he could muster. He felt that way now, but this time, he realized he'd probably never wake up. Ever.

Aang watched solemnly as tears dripped down from his cheeks and off of his chin, onto the cold wood floor. Would it end here? His short life coming to an end there on that floor, all alone, seemed so...pathetic. And it was. Of all places...he wanted to be with someone at least. He wanted Katara and Sokka to come -even Appa or Momo- just to have someone to hold him with his last breaths. The thirteen year old shook his head slightly. He was determined to stay awake at least until someone came. Where was everyone, anyway? Aang fought and fought, but was finally overcome by darkness as he shut his eyes, and gave up.

* * *

Katara placed the last dish into the dishwasher, finally done. It was late in the morning, and Aang had been waking up earlier and earlier each day, so it was strange that he hadn't come down for breakfast yet. Thinking that the thing she feared most had happened, she ran upstairs, but froze when she almost stepped on a ghostly-looking, completely still Aang on the floor. "AANG!" She yelled, "SOKKA! GET IN HERE NOW!"

She kneeled down next to the unmoving boy, crying as she tried to shake him awake. His eyes were closed, so she wasn't able to tell if he was sleeping, unconsious, or...

Dead...

"SOKKA! GET THE HELL IN HERE RIGHT NOW! SOKKAAA!"

Sokka burst into the room, and found his sister holding a limp, lifeless-looking Aang in her arms, crying, shaking him, trying to get him to wake up. Sokka held a hand against Aang's chest, and then looked up at her, pulling his hand away slowly.

"...He's not breathing."

* * *

**OMFG EPIC CLIFFHANGER! Haha. I felt like a Mary-Sue just now when I said that...**

**Again, sorry with about the shortness of the chapter, but this seemed like the perfect cliffhanger. Or at least a decent one. Ha!**

**NOTES:**

**-I'm so mean! Mwahahaha!**

**-Yea! Aangpain. Heh.**

**-Thank God for Katara walking on the rain...Don't know what I'd do without her.**

**-Sorry if this is sort of unrealistic. I think I've mentioned in almost every chapter that I'm no expert, but I will mention it again...**

**-I am no expert.**

**-THE STORY IS NOT OVER! I WILL NOT END IT LIKE THIS! **

**-The story's almost over...I think I'm going to cry. I've never finished a story before, only oneshots. :0**

**-OMG OMG OMG -has heart-attack-**

**I hope you have been enjoying this story as much as I have. :') . Please leave feedback. Thanks.**

**-Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis-**


	14. Perfection

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but here's to hoping I'll get three Avatar boxed sets under my tree this Christmas! ;)**

**Chapter 12**

That night, Katara pulled the limp boy into her bed with her, she held him in her arms under the blankets, the same way she had done the night before, only tighter. The girl cried herself to sleep, shamelessly.

"Katara," a voice whispered. Someone was squeezing her arm. "Kataaaaraaa?" The voice was a mixture of being rough, high, weak, and confused.

"Nmmm...Go away, Sokka..." She said, lifting her arm to shoo him away, but she swung her arm through the air, hitting nothing. She flicked her eyes open, and found Aang lying next to her, blinking, and looking around, confused. "Katara?" he asked, "Am I...Am I in heaven?"

Katara's heart melted, and a tear ran down her cheek as she pulled him into a tight hug, touching his shoulders, stomach, face, head, neck, hands, to make sure he was really there. "No, Aang...You...You're...You're alive! Oh God, don't ever scare me like that again!"

She held him there for quite a while, a confused expression etched upon the boy's face. _I thought I was dead... _he thought, _How am I still alive? How did I get up here? _He closed his eyes. Aang didn't care about those things right now. He was simply glad to be alive and with Katara.

After a while, she called Sokka into the room, and when he saw Aang looking at him, confused, Sokka smiled. So he wasn't dead, after all. The sixteen year old hadn't failed to protect him. Sokka walked over to the bed where the two sat, and joined in the hug. Aang just sat there, feeling rather awkward, but happy. He was so confused. Aang could've sworn he'd died yesterday, though he wouldn't know, as no one knows what it feels like to die, or at least can't live to tell about it, and by the way his friends were acting, it only added to the confusion.

They heard a short crashing from downstairs, like the clinking of metal, and Appa and Momo came running into the room, jumping onto the bed and licking at the three. They laughed quietly, and pulled the two dogs into the hug. Aang scratched their heads. Everything was just...Perfect. This was what he had been wishing for for a long time, for everything to just feel normal. He knew things would be great from now on, that the doctors were wrong. He felt so weak, but at the same time, strong. It felt...Perfect.

LINELINELINELINELINELINELINE

Eventually, they grew hungry and went downstairs for lunch (Sokka gave Aang a piggy-back ride down the stairs). Katara made them all veggie sandwiches, which they ate gladly. Aang was starving, so he finished first, and also had some fruit. After Sokka finished, he went outside with Appa and Momo, who were scratching at the door to be let out. By then, Katara had finished eating, and she began stacking up the dirty plates.

Aang walked over to her slowly, hanging onto the counter for support. "Hey," he said quietly. "Hey," Katara replied. "Um...Katara..." "Yea, Aang?"

"I know I never said it before, and I probably should have, but...I really like you."

Katara giggled, "I like you, too."

Aang rubbed his toe against the floor. "I mean...I really, like...Like-like you...I love you."

Katara blushed, and leaned in, kissing him full on the lips. She put her arms around his neck, and he placed his hands on her hips. Feeling the need to breathe, Katara pulled out of the kiss, a small smile on her face.

"I love you, too, Aang."

-THE END!-

**Oh my God, is it really over? IT IS! :O -dies-**

**NOTES:**

**-Aang lived! Yea!**

**-Kataang! Woot.**

**-Kind of confusing, sorry. Haha.**

**-Wow, I have never finished a story in my life ever forever more before! DANG!**

**-THANK YOU, KATARA WALKING ON THE RAIN! THANKS SOOO MUCH!**

**-Wow...**

**-I know it could have ended with more detail and explanation, but oh well. :P**

**-There will be an epilogue**

**REPLIES:**

**Avatar Obsession - **(Ch11) Yep, you got a shout out, and here's another! Haha. (Ch12) Wow, I made you sob? Sweet. XP Haha. (Ch13) Looks like he's not dead, after all! And haha, yea, I do have a thick skull, don't I? Must be why it's so hard to get my ideas onto paper. :P

**zukofan2005 - **He's okay now! Haha.

**RomioneRawr - **Thanks so much! Yea, I will be exactly 12 and a half years old on Christmas Eve. Thank you. :) Yea, I've tried to think of how they could manage the bills, and I think I mentioned earlier in the story that their dad left them a load of cash. The school they go to is small, like one I went to, and the one I went to was extremely easy-going, so their school is like that, too. Sokka is a good student, so the principal does trust them, and the principal knows about Aang, and that their dad is always gone, so she trusts Sokka as the father-figure, basically. Also, it's an Alternative Universe, so maybe in their universe, no one cares. Haha.

Yay for charactar developement! I hate not seeing it in fanfics, so how could I not put it into mine? Lol.

Like I said before, this is my first time ever completing a chaptered story, so obviously I'm a oneshot kind of person XP. Maybe I'll do more multi-chapters, though!

Momo and Appa as puppies = Cuteness! I wish I would have mentioned them more, poor Momo only got around two chapters. T-T Haha. :D

**Thanks so much to everyone who has read this from the beginning, or just now read it, or whatever! I love you all! I hope you guys read my next story, whatever that will be about, I don't know, but yea! Haha! I'm so happy to have actually finished this, and if I sound emotional, I probably am, because I'm so proud of myself XP. **

**On a final note, Merry Christmas 2010 to all of you and have a Happy New Year! May God Bless and watch over you all wherever you may be and especially if you're traveling for the holidays. **

**Thanks again! :D**

**-Kazuki Nalyn Pippenpaddelotsocopolis-**


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

When the doctors discovered Aang had survived, they were amazed. They hadn't seen anything like this, and after checking him over a few months later, they declared that the leukemia was gone completely. Aang, Katara and Sokka took this news extremely well, and when Katara and Sokka's father finally came home around Christmas time, they celebrated.

Every year on the anniversary of Aang's leukemia being gone, they had a party to celebrate, like a birthday, and every year, Aang would shave his head in honor of it.

Aang and Katara finally became a couple, vowing to always stay close friends if they were to ever break up. They were as close as two people can get, always by each others sides, through good and bad. They hardly ever disagreed, and almost never argued or fought.

Sokka started dating a girl named Yue before her untimely death at a young age. Almost a year afterwards, he started dating a girl named Suki, and they were as close as Katara and Aang.

As for Appa and Momo, They lived twice as long as dogs normally would, to Aang's happiness. They were great companions and loyal family members, as all dogs are. They were well loved, and hard to let go of.

And so, the story ends happily. The Sozin Arsonists whom burned down Aang's home and the orphanage were never caught, yet never heard from again. Aang, Katara and Sokka held a fundraiser every year around Christmas for the local hospital. Even the saddest stories can have happy endings. All you've got to do is hope.

**END!**

**Hope you like the extreme shortness of the epilogue! **

**NOTES:**

**-Gah! It's over for real now.**

**-Cheesy ending, huh?**

**-As soon as I wrote the last sentence, I knew that I had to use one of you reviewers (Emily)'s idea for the name of the story. Thanks!**

**-I really enjoyed writing this story.** **It burns a colorful hole in my heart to know that I'm not going to be writing any more of this thing. Haha, oh well. **

**If you can, go to YouTube and search for either "One Last Christmas" or "Dax Locke"...Go do it! XD**

**So, what should I write about in my next story? Maybe a continuation of this one, with the stuff in the epilogue in it, plus Toph? Or something completely different? Please let me know!**

**REPLIES:**

**Cutie - **Thanks! You have cancer? That sucks. Bleh. Haha, hope you get rid of it soon.

**The Bloodbender at Full Moon - **(Ch11) Yea. :3 (Ch13) Well now you know! Haha.

**zukofan2005 - **YEA! Haha. Aw, don't cry. XP Wow, I'm one to talk, I'm going to cry just because it's over! JK Haha.


End file.
